Every month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compiles a list of vehicle and auto part recalls that’s made available to the public. The most recent report was published on September 2^nd, and it’s pretty extensive. The 20 page report covers everything from defective headlights to bad tires to the pieces that make up your vehicle’s engine, and some of these defects could cause a fatal crash. We looked through the report, and found some defective auto parts that haven’t made the news, but that you should know about if you want to keep your family safe.

• Agility Fuel Systems and Emcara Gas Development Inc. Agility and Emcara manufacture compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel systems, the kind most often used in tractor-trailers, buses and garbage trucks. The report says that “affected systems are equipped with pressure relief devices (PRDs) that may not function as designed and vent a buildup of pressure,” which could lead to an explosion. Since Agility also manufactures CNG fuel systems for fuel-supply trucks, the effects could be catastrophic if left unfixed.
• Hercules Tire & Rubber Company and Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. These tire companies are recalling certain makes and models because of a defect in the product which can cause tread separation. Tread separation can cause the tire(s) to suddenly lose air, and that can lead to a crash. While Continental is contacting its customers about the problem, you have to actually call Hercules yourself if you have their recalled tires to get a refund.
• Nissan North America, Inc. Nissan is recalling certain 2014 Versa Sedans, 2013-2014 Cubes and 2013-2014 Jukes because the on/off button can get stuck if the temperature is too high. Being stuck in your driveway is annoying, but imagine if you were driving along at a good clip when the car suddenly turned off.
• Subaru of America, Inc. 2012 Subaru Impreza 4-Door and Station Wagon vehicles (except WRX/STI models) offer an Occupant Detection System, which will turn the airbag on or off depending on whether or not the car detects a person in that seat. A defect in the system is causing the ODS to deactivate if someone plugs their iPhone or GPS system into the power outlet. The ODS may also shut off if you try to readjust your seat by using the metal bar in the front.

This is just a sample of the problems covered in the report – barely a page’s worth out of 20 pages. Commercial trucks and vehicles, passenger cars, safety helmets – anything and everything is covered each month by SaferCar.gov. So far, the only step that the NHTSA has taken is to issue a final rule that makes it mandatory for manufacturers to inform the public of any “defect or noncompliance in vehicles or equipment that they produced.” They’re not requiring manufacturers to make safer, better products, or to not release makes or models that have issues which could potentially kill you; they only require that the manufacturers let you know if there’s an issue that might cause an accident or a personal injury.

It looks like we’re on our own when it comes to our safety – but you won’t be alone if you had an accident or suffered an injury because of an auto part defect. At Banks & Jones, we promise that we’re all in this together. To speak with an experienced Knoxville personal injury attorney, please contact us today.